Connectible container

ABSTRACT

An individual connectible container having a neck and a base, the neck configured to fit securely in a recess in the base of another connectible container and the base configured to securely receive the neck of still another connectible container, and a connectible container assembly having two or more individual connectible containers wherein the neck of each container except the topmost connectible container, is inserted into the recess in the base of the container above it.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to containers for liquids includingconsumables such as water and other beverages, and more particularly toconnecting containers, that may be stacked.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Containers, such as bottles containing a liquid, such as drinking water,are typically transported and sold as multiple units, for shipping andstorage on market shelves. Such containers are packaged for transportand storage by various means for example, using external connectors,such as “plastic collars.” Such collars have caused environmentalconcerns because they may end up in waterways and attached to wildlife.

Containers for liquids, such as beverages, including plain, flavored andcarbonated drinking water and juices, now come in a variety of sizes,with the more popular typically containing 6, 8, 20 or 32 ounces ofwater. Such containers are sold in increasingly larger groupings, forexample 28 or 32 water containers in a single package for purchase. Theadvent of larger packages of containers containing consumables, haspresented challenges because they occupy valuable shelf space inmarkets. Some packages contain two layers of containers stacked on topof another, for example with a cardboard or plastic separating linerbetween the top of the bottom layer and the bottom of the top layer ofcontainers. Various packaging exists for combining individual liquidcontainers, (U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,276,549 and 6,932,228, and U.S. publishedpatent application Pub. No. 2006/0096942, now abandoned). However, priorpackaging has required manufacture of additional components and/ormodification of the sides of individual containers, for example, toprovide for side-to-side attachment, adding to the costs of manufacture.

There remains a need for connectible, sealed liquid containers that canbe economically manufactured and packaged together in a relatively rigidstack, for transportation, storage and sale, and can be quickly andeasily assembled and disassembled, without the need for connectingcollars or other added components and modifications.

Containers for holding substances, such as fluids and other consumablesubstances are well known in the art. However, containers which securelyattach top to bottom, through connectivity integrated into the actualcontainer, without relying on separate connectors, while maintaining theintegrity and safety of the sealed contents of each bottle or container,are not commonly found.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the invention provides an individual connectible containerhaving a neck and a base, the neck configured to fit securely in arecess in the base of another connectible container, and the baseconfigured to securely receive the neck of still another connectiblecontainer. The invention further provides a connectible containerassembly having two or more individual connectible containers, whereinthe neck of each container except the topmost connectible container, isinserted the recess M the base of the container above it. The assemblyis secure and able to be gripped by a user or self-support on a surfacewithout tipping over. An individual container may be separated from theassembly and consumed, and the empty container replaced in the assemblyor discarded.

The liquid container of the invention includes a hollow chamber forholding a liquid, the hollow chamber having an upper portion having aneck having a central opening for receiving and dispensing liquid in andfrom the hollow chamber, the outer surface of the neck being configuredto reversibly and securely connect to a cap, and the upper portion ofthe hollow chamber configured to securely insert into the base ofanother liquid container, and having a base having a recess configuredto securely receive the upper portion and neck of the hollow chamber ofanother liquid container. Advantageously, the liquid container furtherincludes a cap covering the central opening. The outer surface of theneck of the hollow chamber may have threading that mates with threadingon the outer surface of the recess in the base of the hollow chamber ofanother container. Alternatively, the outer surface of the neck of thehollow chamber and the outer surface of the recess in the base of thehollow chamber of a container are configured to provide a snap fit whenthe neck of one container is inserted into the recess in the base ofanother container.

The invention also includes an assembly of liquid containers comprisingat least a first and second container, the first container having ahollow chamber for holding a liquid and having an upper portion andhaving a neck including a central opening for receiving and dispensingliquid in and from the hollow chamber, the outer surface of the neckconfigured to reversibly and securely connect to cap, and the upperportion of the hollow chamber configured to securely insert into thebase of another liquid container, and a base having a recess configuredto securely receive the upper portion and neck of the hollow chamber ofanother liquid container, and a second container including a hollowchamber for holding a liquid having an upper portion joined to the sidesand having a neck including a central opening for receiving anddispensing liquid in and from the hollow chamber, the outer surface oftbe neck configured to reversibly and securely connect to a cap, and theupper portion of the hollow chamber configured to securely insert intothe base of another liquid container, and a base having a recessconfigured to securely receive the upper portion and neck of the hollowchamber of another liquid container, such that the upper portion andneck of the second container are reversibly inserted and secured in therecess of the base of the first container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings constitute a part of this specification and includeexemplary embodiments to the invention, which may be embodied in variousforms. It is to be understood that in some instances various aspects ofthe invention may he shown exaggerated or enlarged to facilitate anunderstanding of the invention.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following more detailed description, taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way ofexample, the principles of the invention.

FIG. 1A-C are views of a connectible container in accordance with animplementation of the invention, where FIG. 1A is a perspective view ofa collectible container FIG. 1B is a cross-section of the connectiblecontainer in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1C is a perspective view of the recess inthe base of Use connectible container of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 2A and B are view of a connected container assembly in accordancewith and implementation of the present invention, where FIG. 2A is aside view of an assembly of connected containers, and FIG. 2B is a crosssection of the connected container assembly of FIG. 2A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A detailed description of implementations of the invention are providedherein. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention maybe embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosedherein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis forthe claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in theart to employ the present invention in virtually any appropriatelydetailed system, structure or manner.

The present invention provides a connectible liquid container configuredat the top and bottom of the container to connect with other connectiblecontainers relatively rigidly, for transportation, display storage anduse by a consumer. The invention further provides an assembly ofcontainers connected “top to bottom,” which can be economicallymanufactured. Individual containers may be easily connected anddisconnected, without the need for additional connecting components,such as collars. Each connectible container may be sealed with aremovable cap, such as caps standard in the beverage industry, whichprevents tampering, and preserves the integrity of the contents of thecontainer. The container and assemblies of containers permit less marketshelf space to be devoted to storing and displaying a plurality of thecontainers, and provide flexibility and convenience to consumers tocarry and consume the amount of liquid desired.

The neck of one connectible container is secured in a recess in the baseof a second, “upper” connectible container by means of the configurationof the outer surface of the neck and the outer surface of the recess inthe base of the upper connectible container. In an assembly of thecontainers, a single container can he opened and the contents consumed,without opening any other connected container, preventing exposure ofthe contents of other containers to air and contamination.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, for purposes of illustration,the present invention is concerned with a connectible container and anassembly of at least two connected containers.

Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, a connectible container 10 has sides 12, abase 14 and a neck 16 having a central opening 18 to receive anddispense liquids in and from the container 10. The central opening 18may be reversibly securely closed with a cap 20. “Securely closed,” asused herein means the cap forms at least a liquid seal, but may alsoinclude an air tight seal. In an embodiment, the cap 20 may be formedwith internal threading (not shown) on the inner surface of the sides inthe cap 20 to mate with threading 22 on the outside of neck 16 or snapfit or other means.

As shown in FIG. 1B the container 10 has a hollow chamber 24 forcontaining liquids. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1B, threading 26inside the can 20 mates with the threading 22 on the neck 16 of thecontainer 10. The container 10 further has a recess 28 (FIGS. 1A and 1B)for receiving the neck 16′ of another container 10′ such that container10′ fits snugly within container 10′ forming an assembly 32 (FIG. 2)that will remain upright when held or placed on a surface, i.e. will nottip over. The embodiment depicted in FIGS. 1B and 1C includes threading30 on the inner surface of recess that mates with threading 22 on theneck 16 of another container 10′. The threading 22 on the neck 16 may be“female” with the threading 30 on the recess 28 of the base 14 being“male,” or vice versa. The use of threading to securely connect twocomponents is well known and standardized in most industries such as thebeverage industry.

Alternatively, the outer surface of the neck 16 of container 10 isconfigured to snap fit or lock fit within the recess 28 of anothercontainer 10′. For example, neck 16 may have protrusions which may bethreading, or may be another type of protrusion that is/are insertedinto corresponding channels in the recess 28 of another container 10′,for example by exerting slight pressure when inserting the neck 16 ofone container 10′ into the recess 28 until the two containers 10, 10′“snap” together. Various other configurations for securing the neck 16into the recess 28 of a container 10 may be made without departing fromthe scope of the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, two or more individual connectiblecontainers 10, 10′ and 10″ may be securely connected or “stacked” toform assembly 32 by inserting the neck 16′ of a lower connectiblecontainer 10′ in the assembly 32 into the recess 28 of an upperconnectible container 10. The cap 20 of each connected container 10,10′, 10″ in the assembly 32 remains securely attached. FIG. 2B shows incross-section how the nook 16′ and cap 20′ of each container 10′ and 10″fit into the recess 28 and 28′ of the container into which it isinserted. A consumer can choose to carry an individual connectiblecontainer 10, or two or more connected containers in an assembly 32. Theinvention optimizes transportation and market display space while alsooffering flexible consumption to the consumer, such that less liquid iswasted.

The connectible containers of the invention can be manufactured in anydesired size to accommodate different volumes of liquids, and can bemade in a variety of shapes, provided the neck and base of eachcontainer fit snugly within the recess 18 of the base 14 and over theneck 16, respectively, of connected containers 10. When connected, theoverall appearance of the connected containers may be that of a singlelarger container as depicted in the assembly 32 of FIGS. 2A and 2B. Thecontainers may be constructed of plastic, although other materials suchas glass, composites, or metal and metal alloys may be used. Because theconnected containers form a substantially rigid structure, multiplecontainers may be stacked safely and carried by a consumer with relativeease.

In the implementation of the invention shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, threeconnectible containers 10, 10′, 10″, each holding approximately 6 ounces(approximately 177 ml) of liquid, are connected together, providingapproximately 18 ounces (approximately 532 ml) of consumable liquid tothe consumer. Other sizes of containers and amounts of liquid may bemade and used without departing from the scope of the invention. Theliquid can be consumed in the smaller amounts provided in eachindividual container as desired, without contaminating the rest of theliquid.

In use, the individual connectible containers may be of a single use anddisposable nature, or may he reusable and recyclable containers. Thetopmost container in an assembly of connected containers may be openedand the contents of the container dispensed, without removing anddraining all or part of another connectible container, or otherwisealtering the stack. Alternatively, any individual connectible containermay be removed from the assembly and the contents of any individualcontainer may be dispensed. In addition, for convenience and to reducelitter, an emptied connectible container or containers may bereconnected to other containers, whether empty or containing liquid.

The above-described embodiments of the present invention areillustrative only and not limiting. It will thus be apparent to thoseskilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be madewithout departing from this invention in its broader aspects. Therefore,the appended claims encompass all such changes and modifications asfalling within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A liquid container comprising: a hollow chamberfor holding a liquid comprising: an upper portion having a neck having acentral opening for receiving and dispensing liquid in and from thehollow chamber, the outer surface of the neck configured to reversiblyand securely connect to a cap, and the upper portion of the hollowchamber configured to securely insert into the base of another liquidcontainer, and a base having a recess configured to securely receive theupper portion and neck of the chamber of another liquid container. 2.The liquid container of claim 1, further comprising a cap covering thecentral opening.
 3. The container of claim 1 wherein the outer surfaceof the neck of the hollow chamber has threading that mates withthreading on the outer surface of the recess in the base of the hollowchamber of another container.
 4. The liquid container of claim 1 whereinthe outer surface of the neck of the hollow chamber and the outersurface of the recess in the base of the hollow chamber of a containerare configured to provide a snap fit when the neck of one container isinserted into the recess in the base of another container.
 5. Anassembly liquid containers comprising at least a first and secondcontainer, the first container comprising: a hollow chamber for holdinga liquid comprising: an upper portion having a neck having a centralopening for receiving and dispensing liquid in and from the hollowchamber, the outer surface of the neck configured to reversibly andsecurely connect to a cap, and the upper portion of the hollow chamberconfigured to securely insert into the base of another liquid container,and a base having a recess configured to securely receive, the upperportion and neck of the hollow chamber of another liquid container; anda second container comprising: a hollow chamber to holding a liquidcomprising: an upper portion having a neck having a central opening forreceiving and dispensing liquid in and from the hollow chamber, theouter surface of the neck configured to reversibly and securely connectto a cap, and the upper portion of the hollow chamber configured tosecurely insert into the base of another liquid container, and a basehaving a recess configured to securely receive the upper portion andneck of the hollow chamber of another liquid container. whereby theupper portion and neck of the second container are reversibly insertedand secured in the recess of the base of the first container.